SPP's hush-hush election

IT WAS a meeting to elect the members of the Singapore People's Party's (SPP's) central executive committee (CEC), but the party declined to reveal who made the list afterwards.

Members refused to speak to the media gathered outside the Siang Kuang Avenue shophouse that serves as the party's headquarters. Blinds were drawn across the glass front to keep the affair private.

The meeting yesterday lasted more than an hour. It was supposed to be a crucial one for the opposition party, which has faced questions about leadership succession and rejuvenation in the past.

When interviewed afterwards, Mrs Lina Chiam said only that an announcement will be made in "due course".

The SPP, founded in 1994, is led by opposition stalwart Chiam See Tong, 78, who is the secretary-general. His wife, Lina, 64, a Non-Constituency MP, is the party's chairman. During the last general election, she contested the Potong Pasir seat that her husband had held, but lost narrowly.

The Chiams easily retained their places on the committee, according to sources. Four new faces - two in their 20s - are said to have joined the CEC. The newly elected members whom MyPaper later called said they were not allowed to speak to the media.

In 2012, six key SPP CEC members broke away from the party in a much-publicised fallout.